Question

Two identical asteroids are floating in space, separated by a distance, d. The asteroids both have a charge q and a mass m. If the Coulomb force and the gravitational force are equal (thereby counteracting each other), find the charge on an asteroid as a function of mass.

As a reminder, the equation for gravitational force is $LaTeX: F=G\frac{m_1m_2}{r_{12}^2}$ F=Gm1m2r122.

Answer 1

F = K (q) (q)/r^2_12 F = G (m) (m)/r^2_12 (1) = (2) kq^2/r^2_12 = Gm^2/r^2_12 = > q = (squareroot G/K)m (or) q = (0.860 times 10^-10) m